


Winter

by Reiluna



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Depressed Uchiha Sasuke, Friends With Benefits, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 04:16:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29628963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reiluna/pseuds/Reiluna
Summary: Their story began in the basement bathrooms of a smoke filled vault pub right next to campus. It started with them having their hands all over each other despite not even knowing their names.Sasuke had already decided to spend his academic years in bitter solitude. Yet it seemed like life had planned to challenge his state of isolation quite a bit.
Relationships: Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 26





	1. Prologue - August

Their story began in the basement bathrooms of a smoke filled vault pub right next to campus. It started with them having their hands all over each other despite not even knowing their names. 

The air was thick and their bodys hot from drinking too much alcohol. Sasuke felt so damned high. Though his intoxicated state most likely wasn’t due to the lame weed he had smoked earlier.

He had unintentionally eyed the blonde guy he was now pressing into the wall of the cabinet all night long. Fuck, he had tried very hard to not make it obvious. Sasuke would never want to come off like he was … would never initiate … didn't want people to assume … 

When he had stumbled into the bathroom though almost running into the blonde guy there was nothing he could do to hold himself back. Not when the blonde was looking into his eyes so shamelessly. Not when he simply started placing wet kisses on Sasuke's neck, grabbing his hips firmly.

Sasuke didn’t have the mental strength to stop drowning in this swooping and exhilarating sensation of touch. Neither of them was sober enough to give a damn about where they were; the thin door of the cubicle being the only weak attempt on privacy available.

It was the infamous last friday night before the autumn break and it seemed like the whole campus was drunk and reckless. It was the first time Sasuke had sex in a while. It was very drunk and rather rough and it felt very good.


	2. November

Naruto closed the door of his dorm room falling onto his bed seconds later. The winter semester had begun about a week ago but it felt like his brain still hadn’t fully adjusted to working several hours a day. He closed his eyes picturing the content of his fridge. Hmpf.

Maybe Cup Ramen was not the best idea (it would be the fourth day in a row) and he didn't want to steal food from Chouji again (dangerous). His stomach felt painfully empty though so he sat up again with a sigh. Eventually he threw on his oversized denim jacket tousling his hair a bit.

Might as well go to the cafeteria, he thought, feeling way too lazy to cook. He kicked some random pieces of clothing to the side while searching for his trustworthy Chucks. The blonde didn't even know how one person could plunge a place into chaos that bad in a few days but he couldn't bring himself to care about that either.

Naruto had spent the holidays in his hometown, staying at Iruka's place. It had kind of become a tradition since he left Konoha to attend university. It wasn’t like either of them had family to visit anyways …

The two of them had stayed in the same orphanage since they were little. Iruka had just finished his teacher training a year ago. Recently he got a job at the local elementary school and could now afford to rent a small but cozy flat in the suburbs.

Naruto had made enough friends around campus to not feel alone most of the time. But going back to Konoha once in a while was important for him. It gave him the strength to push through the winters despite the cold and the lack of sun as well as the seasonal depression coming with that.

The cafeteria was packed. Hundreds of voices merged into a low background noise. He smiled at the kitchen lady who put his tray back on the counter after putting a plate with spaghetti on it. 

Without really checking any faces Naruto made his way towards the tables right next to the glass wall. He didn’t like not being able to look outside. After he sat down at one of the less crowded tables he opened his can of soda downing it in a few big gulps. Then he started eating his noodles while scrolling through his phone frowning a bit at a certain message. Gaara had been texting him again since the winter term started… He didn’t answer.

After a while he looked up lazily screening the people around him. He didn’t really get far. To be exact the person in front of him caught his attention right away. The black haired guy seemed oddly familiar. However Naruto didn’t really see a lot since he had half of his face hidden behind a thick book. There was a single can of black coffee in front of him. “Commercial Law” the book said. 

Those eyes though, Naruto thought, feeling a tingling sensation in his guts all of a sudden. He knew that guy. Well, knowing him was a little exaggerated maybe… Eventually it seemed like he felt Naruto's intense eyes on himself looking up from his book a moment later. Yeah, Naruto was sure now. They had definitely hooked up before the holidays. Fuck, he didn’t even know his name.

He thought hard about what to say without making it awkward. But thinking alone was hard enough as the man in front of him was … wow. How could he forget making out with someone that attractive? He must’ve been very, very drunk. 

Jesus, we had sex in the bathroom, he then remembered. Yes, he must’ve been wasted as hell. Naruto even blushed a little with all of the memories recklessly flooding in at the sight of the black-haired boy in front of him.

The guy’s gaze had been bored or rather annoyed almost at first. However after a few seconds his eyes widened as if in shock. He then went completely still at the sight of his opponent.

“Uhm … hi.”, Naruto tried, awkwardly scratching the back of his head. “I’m Naruto. Guess, we’ve met before … I didn’t catch your name though... ?”

He paused waiting for the other to answer to that. He didn’t get anything in return except for furrowed eyebrows and a stare that could possibly kill.

“I was just leaving actually.”, the guy said standing to his feet already. 

In a matter of seconds he was gone.

-

Sasuke’s November was a huge shitshow. He’d spent the entire holiday at his parents' family estate. The change of scenery remained the only difference between university and home. Due to his father’s sharp eyes Sasuke hadn’t spent a single day not being bent over his law books for long hours. 

Therefore he felt incredibly tired when the winter term began. It had been like that since he started university. But the aching feeling of general fatigue only worsened from year to year ...

Now he was back on campus heading for the cafeteria to get some much needed coffee before his next lecture. He had already finished his assignments for the next few weeks but there were some serious exams coming up very soon. The majority of students failed one or two times before passing those. It was quite normal actually to fail your classes sometimes when you studied law. It wasn’t normal for the Uchiha family to fail in any matter though.

He settled at a table right next to the glass front of the hall. Despite being pretty absorbed in his commercial law book Sasuke felt eyes on himself after some time. He tried to ignore them at first. Like he wasn’t used to people staring at his sorrowful existence … When it didn’t stop though he looked up from the paragraph he was currently trying to classify. 

He raised his eyes from the words only to find himself locked into an intense blue gaze. Eyes that he somehow remembered so well despite having only seen them once. Eyes that made him freeze on the spot. He had tried to push that very night as far away as possible. It didn’t happen, he told himself. He will most likely have forgotten most of it anyway. 

What Sasuke’s rational plan didn’t include was how deeply fascinated he felt by looking at the boy in front of him. His blonde hair was wildly tousled into all directions but still looking kind of good. He wore an oversized tie-dye t-shirt beneath his huge denim jacket. His ears were pierced and as if that wasn’t enough already the guy had his nails painted in bright orange. It was … overwhelming. But like, … in a pleasant way. Like he wanted to know more … 

Wait, no. 

“I was just leaving actually.”, he said standing up hurriedly. 

In a matter of seconds he was gone.

-

It was friday night. A few of Naruto's friends had come together to have a couple beers in their favourite local pub and catch up on each other. Sakura and Ino were wildy discussing some medicine related stuff while Chouji ordered the next round of Sashimi. Shikamaru beside him seemed half asleep already. 

Honestly Naruto felt a little disattached from the evening. He knew it was dumb but being ignored by someone kind of hit a sore point. He hated being reminded of how other kids in school would treat him when he was still little. 

He did not at all expect the guy from the bar to hang out with him or whatnot. But acting like they didn’t know each other was disrespectful as fuck. The blonde breathed in and out deeply then took a big sip from his beer. The buzzing phone didn't help. He didn’t want to talk to Gaara right now as he had no idea what to tell him.

“How have you been Naruto?”, Neji asked calmly.

Naruto smiled at him sincerely. Neji had his way of knowing if someone wasn’t right. Still he wouldn’t insist on knowing what exactly was going on like Sakura or Ino. It was nice. 

“Ahh, don’t know.”, he complained. “Nothing’s going on really but I’m not back on track yet, I guess. Maybe just lack of light or something.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean. We could go for a small hike some time.”, Neji suggested brushing a strand of his long brown hair from his face.

Naruto simply nodded at that, reaching for his drink again. “Sounds good.”

Soon he found himself being lost in thought again. It wasn’t like Gaara had done anything to him really. Gaara never did anything wrong. Maybe that was the problem. They had been … Well, what had they been?

Naruto had met him pretty soon after he moved here. They had been there for each other during crazy times. Still they had never really been together or anything. People knew about them but it just hadn’t been like that.

Gaara wasn’t the type of guy to have a relationship with. He didn’t talk about his feelings at all. Sometimes it seemed like he had trouble understanding certain emotions even. They had worked despite that in a way.

But it felt like the bond that they formed and the physical relationship didn’t really fit well no more. Sometimes they would meet, have a few beers and play Mario Kart. Sometimes they met and had sex. Sometimes they met and talked about random things. During summer they had barely seen each other. It was kinda all over the place. 

So they decided to end things for the time being. Naruto felt good with that decision. He felt like … moving on? Now he didn’t know what to answer.

The night came to an end with Naruto walking home alone slightly drunk, thoughtfully staring at the moon. 

Not too far from him Sasuke sat in his quiet apartment trying to focus his mind on the blank word doc in front of him. The white screen burned into his eyes. He only had to write a short essay for his criminal law class. But creepy thoughts were filling his consciousness to the brim.

And so a grey november finally came to an end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you!  
> Thanks for reading my stuff!


	3. December

Sasuke's December was watching Naruto sitting amongst lots of other students in a politics lecture. He had no idea what the guy was graduating in or why he was taking the course but there were two things he was pretty sure about.

Firstly he had been unnoticed by the blonde as he was always early enough to disappear in the back rows of the lecture hall which he preferred anyway. Secondly he was madly invested in looking at Naruto for about 90 minutes every Wednesday afternoon. 

He decided that it was okay to enjoy fantasizing about what could happen if he wasn’t … if things were different. If there was something he was good at it was imagining all the damn things he wanted so badly while continuing to function in his boring real life. Sasuke was used to dreaming a lot whenever he could afford to.

Because besides his blooming imagination there wasn’t really much in his life he could make sense of. 

It was Wednesday and he was busy adjusting his notes and pens on the small desk in front of him. Other than most of the students he was still team handwriting. As he crammed through his backpack one last time to get his markers he noticed someone sitting down on the seat next to him. Someone wearing worn out sneakers and baggy jeans. Sasuke slowly sat up side-eyeing his new neighbor.

His hair was blonde, his eyes were blue and Sasuke's pulse certainly was not bothered at all. So he invested every last bit of the mental strength he had into looking ahead. Luckily the professor was asking for silence now and the voices subsided slowly. Could be coincidence, right? Maybe his neighbor hadn’t recognized him as he had been ducked under the table … 

Sasuke started taking notes as the presentation appeared on the huge screen in the front. And he tried to keep his handwriting neat because … yeah, because why not, right? As he paid attention to his watch at some point he noticed that the first half of the lecture was almost over. However the Uchiha couldn't really recall any content at all. The notes in front of him painted a very organised picture at least. He sighed. 

As the break was announced he leaned back in his chair not planning on standing up. He wasn't the type of guy to squeeze through crowds of people only to get cheap coffee in a 10 minute break. Plus he always brought his own actually drinkable beverage. He had almost entirely banned his neighbor from his thoughts. Still he found himself wondering why the blonde didn't leave the lecture hall. Sasuke had estimated him to be the type of guy who was desperate to socialize whenever he had the chance to.

After a long moment of awkward silence and several sips of black coffee he sighed and finally turned his head to the side. Naruto was looking at him with a casual expression. Sasuke felt astonished by the fact that he remembered the guy's name. Na-ru-to it was.

“Yo.”, the blonde said only to then yawn without covering his mouth. There were only a few traces of orange left on his nails, Sasuke noticed. “Sorry. Politics is not my thing y’know.”

He couldn't help but chuckle at that slowly shaking his head. Then he wondered why Naruto even decided to talk to him at all after their last encounter … 

“You seem like someone who really gets this stuff, first time you're hearing it though.”, the blonde continued nodding into the direction of Sasuke's tidy notes. 

Sasuke followed his gaze. They might as well have been written by somebody else. He didn't remember any of it. He raised his eyebrows a little looking at his neighbor again. Then all of a sudden their eyes locked. It was kind of intense.

Naruto leaned back in his chair absently placing his arm on the backrest of Sasuke's chair. A pretty arm, Sasuke thought. Strong but tender at the same time with a couple small scars. Why am I looking at his arm?!, he realised averting his gaze to the front again. Luckily the lecture soon continued. Naruto's arm though stayed where it was and Sasuke couldn’t have been more aware of it.

As the lecture hall was emptying and Sasuke almost finished with packing his things he felt a hand on his shoulder. He couldn’t help but flinch a little at the sudden touch.

„I‘m getting coffee.“, he said. „D’you know that place Anteiku?“ 

Then the hand disappeared and Naruto was gone. It had been a simple statement. Definitely an indirect invitation. Naruto had been flirting. And Sasuke was sure that he’d think about that all day long if he simply went home now.

If you have one coffee with him, he told himself, you’re gonna realise he’s not your type anyway. He’ll realise you’re boring anyway and leave you alone. So he got up and headed for the place with a troubled mind and warmed heart.

The cafe was located right next to campus and equally filled. Nevertheless it didn't take Sasuke long to spot Naruto in one of the booths checking his phone. An untouched drink stood in front of him. After ordering Sasuke struggled a bit to continue to walk in his direction. Why did this feel bigger than it was, than it should be. A moment later he wordlessly slid into the booth facing Naruto with a blank face.

“Did you order yet?”, the blonde asked casually, checking Sasuke's expression. The atmosphere was a lot different from the lecture hall. Way less people and way more looking at each other. 

“Yes.”, Sasuke answered shortly. He felt like a jerk. As if he was too nervous to speak properly in front of a random guy from his lecture. Calm down, he told himself. Naruto nodded slowly, placing his tanned hands around his mug. His blue eyes seemed to study the foam on top of his Cappuccino. 

“I don't know about you but I feel like I have not .. internalized or whatever anything the professor talked about today.”, the blonde said with a crooked grin scratching his head awkwardly. “But you do seem quite like the pro.”

“Huh.” Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest. I don’t remember anything either, he thought. The waiter placed a coffee on the table. It smelled quite good. “You could say so. Quite like the boring law guy I guess. What do you need the course for?”

Sasuke felt himself calming down a bit. Naruto seemed easy to talk to. Small talk felt fine. And why was it wrong to have coffee with a guy from uni? Still he wasn’t used to people like him. All the people he knew were either rich assholes or taking too much adderall.

“Elective subject .. need a couple for my degree.”, Naruto mumbled while rolling his eyes a little. He leaned back in his seat before taking a sip of his drink. 

The way he laid his other arm on top of the bench made Sasuke’s heart beat a little faster. There was tan skin defined by strong veins and just the right amount of muscles beneath. He couldn't help but check out Naruto's neck and chest and before his imagination went too wild he took a sip of coffee trying to act unbothered.

“So…”, Naruto said rather quietly. “I thought it would be nice to get to know your name too. If you don't mind.” He closed his eyes once before looking Sasuke into the eyes. His gaze was soft but sincere.

“You ... won't talk shit about me though, right?”

The words escaped Sasuke's mouth before he could think twice. He felt tense all of a sudden. The atmosphere felt too deep, too intimate now. And Sasuke didn't do intimate. Naruto raised his eyebrows in confusion. This was wrong. He nervously started tapping the rim of his cup with his fingers, avoiding eye contact.

“Look, I don’t … date or anything.”, he snapped. Why was he feeling angry? He screwed up his eyes cringing at what he’d just said. Idiot. 

Naruto's gaze petrified followed by long moments of silence. Eventually the blondes' eyes softened again. He cleared his throat and then that guy actually smiled. A pretty smile - that didn't reach his eyes at all. “I may not seem like it -”, he began “but certain things I do keep to myself.”

Sasuke froze. He felt his jaw muscles tense and his chest tighten. Of course you had to judge him like that you dumb shit. He closed his eyes. Just like your father would.

“Sorry but I think I’m leaving now.”, he heard the other say.

Good, he lied to himself, you won’t be bothering him no more. Now go home and continue with your dreadful hibernation. He put his face in his hands as the ugly thoughts wouldn’t stop spiraling within him.

“Fuck.”, he hissed. Then he stood up and hurriedly left the cafe looking for Naruto on the street. He was walking towards the dormitory buildings with both hands drowned into his pockets. 

“Hey!” Sasuke called walking into the other’s direction. When they were just a few feet apart Naruto stopped and turned. His expression was surprised.

“I - … I’m looking forward to seeing you next week.”, Sasuke said thinking that this might’ve been the most honest thing he’d said the whole year. “Uhm … and my name is Sasuke.”

After a few seconds of awkward silence Naruto granted him the sweetest grin. “See you next week … Sasuke.”

The Uchiha couldn't help but smile to himself a little as he was heading towards his place. He could worry about his decisions later. Right now all he wanted to think about was the pretty boy with the beautiful eyes and skin.

-

Itachi came around unannounced a few days later. 

“How have you been, Ototo?”, he said, sitting down on one of the bar stools in Sasuke's kitchen. “You haven't been eating well.”, he added, eyeing the shiny countertops.

“Hn.”, Sasuke made, continuing to sort through the contents of his backpack. He couldn't recall where he'd put his notes.

“I see.” Itachi observed frowning a little. “Well. Father wants us to attend the Year-end meeting.”

Sasuke froze in his movement critically looking at his brother through his bangs. “Obviously. But why would you go there?”, he hissed clearly remembering the tension between Itachi and his father he had sensed over the holidays.

His brother pulled his lips into a small grin. “Sensitive as always, aren't you? Let's say there's certain people I need to talk to. I’ll text you as soon as I know the schedule.”

Itachi left soon after that the roaring engine of his Mercedes fading away in the dark. Sasuke stood in front of the window following the lights of the car with his eyes. His brows were furrowed as he thought of his brother. He always seemed like he was hiding something. As if he knew everything better. 

No wonder their father was pissed off. Sasuke would’ve attended that meeting anyway. He was supposed to be the good son since Itachi had continuously refused to be involved in the family businesses cases at all. He slowly released the breath he had been holding trying to push the clenching feeling in his chest far away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you! Thanks for reading this <3
> 
> Itachi entered the game c:
> 
> I'm uploading another one today because this is so short, but the chapters will increase in length soon :)


	4. Trying to stay awake

“I never thought I’d say this but lemme know if you need my notes or anything?”, Naruto said, having it sound more like a question than anything else. 

Sasuke hadn’t even realized that the lecture had come to an end. He was so tired that even staying awake during those 90 minutes had been a challenge itself. So he nodded trying to pass a thankful look to the blonde.

Sasuke felt angry at himself for being bothered by Itachi's sudden appearance last night at all. It was hilarious. Nevertheless it brought back all kinds of dark feelings. The feeling of being the second one, being the less perfect one. Struggling all through University while Itachi seemed to have all kinds of secret thrilling cases nobody knew about. 

Itachi always seemed so unapproachable, so calm, like nothing could possibly get him off track. And that most likely was what kept Sasuke awake most of the night.

“So … see you around then.”, Naruto concluded awkwardly, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. “Take care.”, he added, a bit quieter.

“Are you busy tonight?”, Sasuke spat out before he could think. A part of him didn’t want to be alone the night before the annual Uchiha meeting. He wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway. He coughed awkwardly carefully looking up to the blonde. Well. That had been an approach. 

Naruto seemed just as surprised as Sasuke himself. “Uhh.”, he said dumbfoundedly. “I can give you my number I guess?”

-

Naruto sat in his room feeling like an idiot. He had cancelled a night out with his friends claiming he had an essay overdue. Then he showered and dressed in fresh clothes. Hell, he had even cleared away most of the clothing and books from his floor. 

Now he sat on his bed waiting for Sasuke to message him. This was hilarious. He had probably been imagining things. This was a booty call though, wasn’t it?

Finally impatience defeated pride and he texted Sasuke himself. 

“15 minutes.”

Sasuke looked hot. He wore a dark blue sweatshirt and dark jeans, damp black hair softly framing his face. Still he seemed a bit absent when he entered Naruto’s room, politely taking off his shoes. However Naruto’s pulse definitely wasn’t acting unimpressed. He wasn’t really sure how to do this. 

Apparently they had been intimate before but now neither of them was drunk … Sasuke didn’t seem affected by that at all, calmly checking out the cluttered books on Naruto’s small desk. He took one carefully turning it in his hands to check out the cover.

“Psychology?”, he asked, turning to look at Naruto again. He didn’t even try to hide the fact that he was checking out the other boy heavily.

“Uhh.”, Naruto said dumbly. “Yeah.”, he awkwardly ran his fingers through his hair not really knowing what to do with himself. Was he supposed to initiate anything? He didn’t remember who made the first step back then, honestly. He wanted to do this though … a lot.

„Your room looks just as shitty as I imagined it.“, Sasuke observed with a sassy grin looking around a little more. Well, he was kinda right. No piece of furniture matched the other and there was not a lot of space at all.

„Look at me then“, was everything Naruto could think about as an answer to that. He couldn’t take his eyes off the other boy wondering what it would be like to touch him sober.

“Hn.” Sasuke approached Naruto with dark eyes. “Well, I am now.”, he then said, expectantly raising his eyebrows. Their faces were just inches apart at this point. The air was buzzing with electricity. 

Naruto could feel Sasuke's breath on his skin and it was driving him crazy. So he raised his hand running a thumb over the others sharp jawline before gently gripping a hand full of black hair. The eye contact was intense. He turned a little bit, directing them to the wall until Sasuke was pressed up against it. Finally, he shut his eyes and kissed him roughly. The feeling of their lips touching was nothing short of completely overwhelming.

It didn’t take long until they found themselves on Naruto's bed taking their clothes off piece by piece, breathing loudly. Their skin was hot and sweaty against each other. It sent shivers down Naruto’s spine. He closed his eyes savouring the feeling of Sasuke's lips on his neck and chest.

Then he opened them again to take in all of that beautiful face, that pale skin and thin body. He wanted to touch that chest, those arms, those shoulders … Naruto brought his lips to Sasuke's neck, licking, sucking, smiling as he heard what it did to the pale boy. Things got intense quite fast both of them feeling hard and needy.

Condoms, he thought after a while aiming for the nightstand. Sasuke’s eyes widened the tiniest bit as Naruto handed it to him a little later. The blonde looked up to him through narrowed eyes pulling up his knees a bit. They were very well past the point of hiding exactly what they wanted from each other.

And so Sasuke let himself fall, allowing his body to move on its own. It was like they fit together perfectly. They were moving slow but intense as the air in the room seemed to become even hotter. He allowed himself to kiss Naruto’s mouth, to grip his hair and to moan loudly into the crook of his neck when he finally came. Naruto followed him soon burying his fingernails into the skin of Sasuke’s back. 

Later, when Naruto returned from the bathroom, Sasuke was gone.

-

The Uchiha brothers entered the hall dressed up in their finest suits. Their name and the fact that they looked like they could be modelling right there made a number of people turn their heads.

„Ah, you see.“, Itachi whispered, his voice low and cautious. „The honorable sons showing up together. Father must be very pleased.“

„Hn.“, Sasuke contributed. He couldn’t care less about all of that stuff right now. „Well I’m going to find mother.“

Itachi had already left his side talking to one of the city’s sitting members. It didn’t take Sasuke long to spot his mother in the crowd as she was shaking all of the important hands, looking beautiful as always. 

She smiled brightly as Sasuke approached her. „Oh Sasuke, it's been too long!“ Mikoto gently cupped Sasuke’s cheeks with tender hands, placing a chaste kiss on his forehead.

„Let's get you something to eat. I’ve shaken enough hands for the year. Plus you’re too skinny again.“, she scolded him heading for the buffet with the appetizers. Sasuke smiled inwardly. No matter how old he got his mother would always have the last word. Possibly the reason she was able to put up with his father at all. 

„How have you been?“, she said while placing various pieces of food on a plate for her son. 

„I finished my assignment early so that I could join the criminal law research group. The one my professor set up this spring.“, Sasuke began lacking anything else to talk about besides University.

„That’s wonderful, Sasuke. We’re very proud of your efforts. Have you been taking some time for yourself though? Maybe you‘ve met someone you wanna tell me about?“, Mikoto said with a raised eyebrow as she was handing the stuffed plate to her youngest son. 

And really any other day Sasuke would‘ve handled her usual interrogation smoothly, simply brushing that topic off. But right now his brain couldn’t help but bring certain memories of last night's activities back to his consciousness. And so Sasuke blushed.

„Oh I thought so.“, Mikoto smiled. „You look happy! I‘m glad.“

Suddenly the various conversations fell silent as Uchiha Fugaku entered the podium to deliver his annual speech. Mikoto watched her husband politely as she stepped closer to Sasuke. “I wouldn’t talk to your father about it though. He’s got a lot on his mind these days.”, she said.

It had become quite late when Sasuke got to see his brother again. He seemed to be in a state of distress (not that an outsider would’ve noticed), gripping Sasuke's arm and inconspicuously dragging him towards the staircase that led to the underground car park.

“We’re leaving.”, he said. “I’m done with this man.” Before Sasuke knew what was happening to him his brother was dragging him down the stairs. “Wait.”, he gasped. “Itachi, what are you doing? You can’t just leave!”

“Stop right now.”, a deep voice echoed down the stairwell.

Itachi didn’t make any intent to do so but Sasuke finally stood still looking up the stairs into his fathers angry eyes. 

“We’re not done talking Itachi.” Fugaku slowly but steadily came down towards his sons.

“Oh I’m sure we aren’t old man. I believe there's a lot that should be talked about. Wouldn’t you like to let your son know about the people you’re doing business with?” Itachi's eyes were venomous as he stood in front of his little brother.

“As you can see Sasuke, Itachi is out of his mind. The pressure of working in the firm has gotten to his psyche. That’s why I wanted you to be here. I need to make sure that you can handle what your brother so clearly cannot” Fugaku held out his hand, his expression all sincere. “Make me proud son. You have the potential.”

“Sasuke …” Itachi almost sounded desperate now. “I know I haven’t been there for you but … “

He stopped talking as Sasuke pushed him away moving towards the stairs again.

“You know what Itachi?”, Sasuke said while climbing up the steps towards his father. “Dearly fuck off.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you! Thanks for taking your time to read this.
> 
> ... so that happened! Stay tuned. <3


	5. Do you know Ichiraku’s Ramen stand?

“Sasukeeee”, Naruto finally sent the new-won number in his phone. “I don’t get this medical law example from the latest slides?! help me?”

He was sprawled out on his cluttered bed sheets, his laptop and several hand written notes completing the usual mess that was his room. 

“What about it?”, Sasuke finally answered after a while. “There's an explanation on the next slide…?”

“Dobe.”, Naruto was typing immediately. “I read that. help me? scared about the exam o.o”

“I can bring food!”, he added when he didn’t get an answer. 

“Usuratonkachi.”, Sasuke finally reacted. Then he sent a link to his address.

The door clicked open revealing a tired version of Sasuke. His hair surprisingly was an utter mess plus he wore an oversized hoodie and sweatpants. Naruto had never seen him like this. Not wanting to point that out though he raised the plastic bag he had carefully maneuvered over here. 

“Do you know Ichiraku’s Ramen stand?”, he began.

“No.”, Sasuke said. “Come in.”

They ate in silence glancing at each other from time to time. Sasuke hardly finished half of his bowl while Naruto had already finished his. Eventually he sighed pushing it towards the blond boy. “Have some.”

“That bad?”, Naruto asked, seeming almost offended. 

“No, no it’s good. Just not hungry.”, Sasuke answered getting up to walk over to his desk. His apartment was small but chic. It was, in a way, just like Naruto had imagined it to look like. Tidy, minimalistic and a little bit expensive. 

“I like your flat.”, he said into the other’s direction. “Suits you. Plus now I do feel shitty about my room.” A smile played on his lips.

That earned him a chuckle. “So? You turned up to my place to eat ramen or you still wanna look at that case?”

“Well.”, Naruto said, putting the dishes together a bit. “I couldn’t not bring good food but … yeah.”

Naruto walked over to the small couch opening his backpack to grab some sheets of paper and a pen. He closed his eyes for a second when Sasuke sat down beside him. “Alright then.”, he heard him say. “First off you need to look at the parties involved.” 

“Oh. Oooooh. Damn.”, Naruto concluded their study session some time later. “Jesus Christ, I didn’t think I’d actually manage to get that really.”

“You’re welcome.”, Sasuke replied. He sounded dull, still being bent over his paperwork, his pen working quickly. Something in Naruto's chest clenched with the lack of eye contact.

“Thanks really. Uhm … sorry for taking your time.” Naruto felt insecure again. He knew that Sasuke was everything but the outgoing type but this carried-away vibe felt off-character even for him. “I’ll just grab my stuff.” They had been more than comfortable last time, right? Hell, they even exchanged numbers after this week’s lecture. Where had that gone?

He was opening the door already when he noticed that Sasuke had followed him. Their gazes locked somewhere along the way of Naruto turning around and Sasuke stepping a bit closer.

“You should get going.”, Sasuke said. His eyes were a little tired but still on Naruto. It made him inhale. It was quiet except for a car honking in the distance and a drop of water falling from the tap. And their faces were close again.

“Yeah…”, Naruto whispered, his voice a bit raspy. exhale - inhale. He didn’t want to initiate anything this time. The insecurity was too overwhelming for that. So he turned again and left, the door thudding behind him.

He managed to take two steps before the sound of a door clicking open made him stop. “Wait.”, a hoarse voice said. “You got any lectures tomorrow morning?”

Naruto turned immediately, a crooked grin on his face. “I have no fucking idea.”, he said before basically shoving Sasuke back into his apartment. The second the door fell shut behind them he was already pressing him into the wall of the tiny hallway. 

A small smirk played on Sasuke's lips as their gazes met again. I deserve to fuck up a little, the Uchiha thought as he threaded his fingers into Narutos hair. They were almost trembling, his body aching to be touched. “So … “, he whispered, bringing his mouth close to the blonde’s ear. “make it worth my while.”

Then Naruto's hands were reaching for his body again, hungrily exploring the skin under his hoodie, giving Sasuke goosebumps all over. He couldn’t help but gasp as Naruto started placing wet kisses from his neck up to his jawline leaving a trace of saliva on his skin. 

Acting on instinct entirely he laid his arms around the others neck. Instantly taking his cues, Naruto grabbed Sasuke’s hips, lifting him up with strong arms. Sasuke closed his legs around Naruto's hips feeling thrilled by the sensation of their bodys being pressed up against each other so closely.

The blonde brought them over to the small couch bending down only to climb on top of Sasuke. His eyes were hungry as he hovered over him. All was right with the world as Naruto started taking off his clothes only to continue with his piece by piece. The blondes passionate touches carried Sasuke along, refusing to let him drown into the omnipresent darkness the nights usually brought to his mind.

His back arched and his eyes shut tightly as Naruto took him in his mouth making him feel beautiful things. Sasuke couldn’t help but bring his arms backwards, cringing his fingers into the armrest of the couch, only to have something to hold on to. His jaw muscles clenched as he tried hard to stay quiet. 

When Naruto took him in even deeper though a moan escaped through his lips. He felt close to the edge already when he opened his eyes again. Naruto didn't look away once studying his every reaction. Every last bit of him wanted this, didn’t want this to stop. And when Sasuke finally reached his climax throwing his head back he almost didn’t care about the cry of relief he couldn't hold back.

“Mission accomplished?”, Naruto asked him later that night as he was absentmindedly running his thumb over the sharp contours of Sasuke's collarbones. His eyes were tired but pleased as he looked up at Sasuke with a fond smile.

He couldn’t help but laugh at Naruto’s words covering his eyes with one hand. “That’s about the unsexiest thing I’ve heard in ages.”

“I can live with that.”, Naruto said with a smirk as he slowly got up again, collecting his pieces of clothing. Sasuke was glad that he didn’t ask to stay overnight, though the lack of warmth on his skin was almost trying to tell a different story to his mind.

Talking became easier after that night. Naruto made it easy. Sasuke didn’t flinch anymore when there was a hand touching his side or an arm over his shoulders suddenly when he would walk to his medical ethics lecture. Naruto was a lot, he really was. But he was not too much. The way he made everything seem so natural, so sincere made it easier for Sasuke. 

Still the blonde seemed sensitive enough to never … ask him out or anything. Sasuke felt way too consumed by dealing with his own shit to … he’d just never be able to give someone the attention they deserved. Especially not Naruto. He was fine with the way they would help each other out regarding the physical stuff. And that was his limit. 

“You free tonight?”, the blonde texted him the other day.

“Can’t, I’m still in court, actually.”

“Ohhh, so you secretly are a mafia boss after all. I knew it!” 

“Nah, my father wants me to be there.”

Since Itachi broke contact once and for all he demanded Sasuke to spend the remainder of his freetime in court. He’d have to shake a lot of hands and watch his father destroy every last argument the prosecution would bring up against his defendants.

“Oh, so he’s the boss of the drug empire?” 

“He’s a defense lawyer, usuratonkachi.”

“Sasuke.”, he heard before he felt someone slamming a heavy folder with documents into his chest. It was one of Fugaku's assistants, dressed all black with an emotionless face. “They’re gonna continue with trial in one hour. It doesn’t look too good for us. To be clear Fugaku needs a mistrial. Find something.”

“What?”, Sasuke gasped, almost letting the folder slip out of his hands. “No, that’s not possible. The prosecution is not going to allow that. He should accept the charges, you know that.”

“Yeah, maybe.”, the man said with a faint smirk. “But did you ever see your father lose a case that big? Now, make it happen.”

“Fuck.”, he hissed before storming out of the building already dialing a number in his phone. 

About 30 phone calls and a few panic attacks later he was running to the courtroom again. When he hurriedly entered through the huge doors almost all of the attendees were already sitting. His father was calmly talking to his defendant, a businessman in his 60s charged with trading heroin from china through shipping containers.

Fugaku turned around as his son was approaching, nodding at the sight of the documents in his hands. “Very well.”, he said. “Now sit and watch.”

“Objection, your honour.”, he stated as the prosecution brought forth the dock worker. “I have clear evidence that Mr. Watabe was told to check this one container exactly in a warehouse containing just a little over five thousand. Is it correct that somebody ordered you to do so in exchange for a green card for you and your family, Mr. Watabe?” 

Fugaku slowly approached the witness stand intently staring at the young man who looked like he was about to shit his pants. “I... “, he stammered.

“Am I correct in my assumption that no other than Yuko Motoba, close business partner and family friend of the dock owner, Mr. Yasunaga offered you that deal?”

“Objection, your honour! He’s making pointless assumptions!”, the prosecution lawyer stood to her feet furiously. Excited murmuring started to fill the courtroom.

“Let the witness speak!”, the judge said, silencing the crowd immediately.

“I … “, Mr. Watabe lifted his gaze slowly, looking to the side. “Mr. Uchiha is right. Yuko said I could finally bring my wife … “

Now the crowd was rumoring even louder and the prosecution lawyer had to grip the edge of her table hard for balance. 

“That makes the evidence invalid. Mistrial!”, the judge concluded. Fugaku didn’t even blink at that, calmly sorting his documents. The document Sasuke had given him was untouched.

“You already knew about that, didn’t you?”, Sasuke said after they had paved their way through the crowd of people from the press towards the parking lot. He couldn’t believe that his father would’ve gone into trial without a good plan. Fugaku just smirked at that patting his son's shoulder lightly.

“I asked you to come up with a solution on your own and you did. I’m very proud of you.”

“Thanks.”, Sasuke said, feeling a bit strange. He wasn’t used to such words from his father. “That’s gonna be enough time to prepare before the prosecution comes up with tighter evidence. How do you … “ He didn’t dare to finish his sentence. His father’s client most likely wouldn’t even have to go to jail for his drug trade. Sasuke felt sick.

They stopped in front of some shiny foreign cars. “I don’t know what they’re teaching you in class but remember this; clients always lie.” He searched through his coat pocket, looking for the car keys. “So my job is to come up with something that has us win the case.”

Then he handed the keys to his son, nodding into the direction of a new looking black car. “That’s yours now. You’ve done well so far. Don’t start disappointing me now.” He turned on his heels then not looking back once.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you! Thanks for reading this.  
> I'm running low on free time at the moment (working a bunch of shifts in the hospital - I actually wrote a hospital AU oneshot if you wanna check that out c: )  
> But I'll work hard to make sure I can upload regularly. I hope y'all are well. Winter is coming to an end slowly haha!
> 
> <3 Reiluna


	6. A lone spark

It was freezing cold outside and the sun was already setting. Naruto snuggled into the warmth of his jacket even further trying to keep the cold away. Sasuke had texted him if he was free tonight. Somehow that alone made it worth standing in the cold. And of course Naruto had time … he felt like he’d always make time for the dark-haired boy no matter when and how. Some days those strong needs horrified him a tiny bit. This was a physical relationship only.

He had gotten quite used to pushing those thoughts away and enjoying the moment. And so he did when a black car approached him and he allowed himself to smile brightly.

“So, let me guess!”, Naruto said excitedly when Sasuke got out of his pricey vehicle. “You hunted down Japan's most wanted serial killer. Then you had an audience with the imperial family and they gave you … a fucking Mercedes as a gift?”

He inspected the shiny car closely with a disbelieving look on his face. Sasuke smirked at that as he approached him. He crossed his arms in front of his chest as he leaned against the car watching the blonde. “Well … you can drive if you want?”

Naruto made a face as if Sasuke had just offered him his kidney. “Are you kidding me? What if I break it? I couldn’t even pay for a single tire on this thing.”

“Okay, so don’t break it?”, Sasuke concluded casually, throwing the keys for the blonde to catch. Somehow he didn’t feel nervous at all about letting him drive the brand new car. Seeing Naruto enter it and touching the leather of the steering wheel with big eyes kind of took the ugly feeling away that had been rumoring in his guts since the drug trade case.

Naruto carefully meandered through the city traffic. The sun was almost completely gone leaving the sky painted with various shades of orange. “Where are we going by the way?”, he asked as they were approaching the city highway. Sasuke shrugged at that only now realizing that he hadn’t thought about that at all. “Don’t know. Anywhere.”

When they entered the highway and Naruto finally dared to speed up the engine Sasuke found himself looking at that beautiful face much rather than the street or the sunset. When Naruto's eyes found his with a quick glance they couldn’t help but share a careless smile simply enjoying the ride. “This is fucking awesome”, the blonde laughed as they were speeding across a particularly empty section of the highway. 

The Uchiha felt his body being heavily pressed into the vibrating seat as Naruto didn’t stop pressing the gas pedal. They were almost going full speed at this point. Sasuke’s heartbeat quickened just as much. He firmly gripped the edge of his seat as his survival instincts were slowly starting to kick in. However he didn’t really pay attention to them. So he closed his eyes trying to concentrate fully on that consuming feeling of just being and feeling so incredibly free as he did in that moment.

Somewhere along the way of racing down the highways of their city Naruto persuaded him to stop at 7/11 to get some snacks and something to drink. The parking lot was almost completely empty and a look at his watch told him that it had gotten quite late. Neon lights were reflected in the few puddles left from last night's heavy rain. The scenery looked almost unreal.

“Sasuke!”, Naruto called out from somewhere behind him shortly after they left the shop again. “You have to see that!”

A moment later the blonde simply gripped his hand dragging him towards the back of the building. The shop was located quite a bit above the city level as it was accessible right from the highway. And so the inconspicuous back side surprised them with a million dollar view of the city and the mountains that framed it. None of them said a word as they let that beautiful picture sink in, standing side by side.

Eventually Naruto sat down on the grass taking one can of soda out of the plastic bag from the shop and passing the other one to Sasuke. For a moment they just sat like this, taking sips of their drinks and ignoring the cold temperature. The silence was pleasant to Sasuke’s ears after a whole day in court … again.

“Are you from here?”, Naruto finally asked, nodding towards the city lights. He had his knees drawn to his chest hugging them to protect himself from the cold.

“My father moved his office here, yes. But I grew up more outside of the city.”, Sasuke answered after a moment, thinking about the old traditional house in the quiet village surrounded by numerous rice fields. His fathers office had been small when Itachi and him were little. Life was easier back then. “What about you?”, he then asked, realizing they had never spoken about that before.

“I’m from Konoha.”, Naruto answered with a blissful smile. “But the university there didn’t accept me ‘cause my grades were quite bad. Guess that doesn’t surprise you though.”

Sasuke laughed at that leaning back to prop himself up on his elbows as he stretched out his legs on the slightly damp grass. “So you don’t get to see your family very often?” 

When Naruto didn’t answer immediately, he carefully studied his face. But it didn’t give anything away. Sasuke wondered if he had accidentally hit a sore point there. Naruto had never mentioned his family before. But then again they had also never talked about stuff like that.

“No, it’s fine.”, he eventually answered. “I go back once in a while to visit my friends.” He was smiling at Sasuke with his words but something in his voice suggested that he should not ask any more questions about that topic. “You see your parents often?”

Sasuke shrugged at that thinking about the last time he had seen all of his family on the same day. What a shitty memory. “They’re busy with the law firm. But my brother … kind of left. Haven’t seen him since.” The words spilled from his mouth before he couldn’t quite make sense of what he was saying. “It’s okay though. He’s an arrogant asshole.”

“You’re not.” 

“How would you know?” He cringed at the sound of his own bitter words in his ears.

Naruto simply shrugged at that, looking at him with honest eyes. “I just know.” A few moments passed in a silence heavy with a lot of unspoken thoughts. Then he got to his feet offering Sasuke a hand “Let’s go. It’s cold”

Sasuke got up too but when the blonde turned to make his way back to the parking lot, he held him back as he didn’t let go of that warm hand. At that point his heart beat so fast it almost hurt. When Naruto turned around to face him everything got kinda fuzzy around the edges. Finally he leaned in gently taking the blonde’s face in his hands and then he pressed his lips onto Naruto’s pouring himself into the kiss completely.

At first he seemed surprised by the sudden tenderness but then he laid his arms around Sasuke and without knowing it he kissed away all of the bad thoughts that had been haunting the Uchiha all day long. They stood in a tight embrace for a while before they got back in the car feeling frozen and warm at the same time.

They entered Sasuke’s apartment in a haze of desire. No words were needed as there were lips and breath and skin and hands doing all of the talking for them. Sasuke wanted Naruto in his bed that night, wanted him to take the lead. And as their body’s were moving in sync, he held Naruto in a tight embrace. As he then started caressing the others neck with his mouth Naruto started moaning softly and it was the most beautiful thing. 

Afterwards they laid side by side listening to each other's breath. So it was silent, the air filled with pulsing emotions. None of them felt like any conversation was needed. Both of them were too consumed within themselves trying to figure out what being with each other felt like, trying to figure out how much of that they wanted to show or what they wanted to hide. 

Naruto was like a lone spark in the night lighting the way forward, Sasuke thought later that night as he watched the boy sleep in his bed. He was glad that he hadn’t left tonight but something painfully gripped his heart. Because before he even knew what they were he was already in fear of losing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey you! Thanks for taking your time to read this.
> 
> This might be my favorite chapter yet ... What do you think about their development?
> 
> Also I'm sooooo grateful for all of the inspirational comments I have received so far. It almost feels unreal that people read my stuff and even have something to say about it lol. Thank you thank you thank you.
> 
> <3 Reiluna

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you! Thanks for reading my stuff!
> 
> Updates at least once a week <3


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